Concussions have always been a possibility when engaging in contact sports. Recently, it seems that they have been receiving more attention then usual. I would like to blame, it's not the right word but the first that comes to mind, Sidney Crosby for this. Sid the Kid (I hate calling him that), took a blind sided hit from David Steckel of the Washington Capitals during the Winter Classic in 2010. A few games later, he got hit into the boards by Victor Hedmen of the Tampa Bay Lightening. The question remains....which one of these fine, young, talented men gave Crosby the concussion?
Personally, it does not matter to me. If he wasn't feeling like himself after the Winter Classic, he probably shouldn't of played the next game. The hit by Hedmen definitely made whatever brain injury Sid had worse. I could go on about Crosby and how long he has been out for, and his unreal comeback game against the New York Islanders and how the Pens won 5-0, and Crosby had a 4 point game. But I will stop here. That is not the point of this point. The point is how the NHL is continuing to review head shots, and cracking down on suspensions.
Classic example, Nicky Backstrom of the Washington Capitals, took a dirty elbow to the head by Flames Rene Bourque. Who by the way, is now a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Bourque was suspended 5 games, and Backstrom is still out with concussion like symptoms.
Not so classic example. Freak accident occurs to Oilers young star, Taylor Hall. During a warm up just before a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Hall slips on a puck and Corey Potters skate cuts Halls forehead pretty badly. Hall required medical attention which ended up being 30 stitches. The following game, The Edmonton Oilers required all members of the team to wear helmets during warm ups.
Because of these recent accidents, many teams are making requirements for players to wear helmets.
The Colorado Avalanche have also made it a requirement for players to wear helmets during warm up. However, Vancouver Canucks have made it optional for the players.
Click Here for article on NHL.com about head shots.
Alex Ovechkin was suspended for 3 games due to a hit, where his feet left the ice, on Pens Michelak. Ovi had decided that he did not want to participate in the All-Stars game, because he felt as if he did not deserve to be there, and other ridiculous reasons. As a replacement, James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins went. I think that's such a slap in the face to bring a member of the Pens instead of just choosing another Capital. I will also not get into this because I could talk about the All-Star game and the hilarious commentary done by Scott Hartnell. I'll post the video anyways..
Anyways, concussions can occur anywhere, anytime. It has becoming more common in sports, I have only discussed hockey because I am not very knowledgeable in football so I'm not going to try to impress you with facts. Everybody can take preventative measures in order to decrease the amount of concussions happening. We can also make sure players are completely healed and back to normal before engaging back into play. Players can also take it easy starting out slowly with fewer playing minutes and not acting like goons. *COUGH* Sidney Crosby asking for it with numerous hits after his return. *COUGH*
:)
What I find funny is that the men that get hit in the head, keep playing until it gets to the point of a concussion. I think that if someone were to get shaken up, they should be checked out right away to see if they are fit to play. They might have to sit out for the next few games, but at least they wouldn't be out for months at a time after receiving numerous hits to the head.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling it has something to do with the 'pride' guys hold to themselves; that it's embarrassing to admit they maybe aren't feeling well enough to play, or to even get checked out by a doctor. Guys need to get over it, otherwise a concussion might ruin their whole season.
Interestingly, I actually got my first concussion a few weeks ago. (There isn't a cool story that comes along with it, sadly). I'm a casual watcher of sports and I hear about these injuries from time to time, and it never really resonated with me how serious they could be. Getting a concussion left me out of work for about a week and I definitely didn't feel like "myself". I can't imagine that some of these players could just "shake it off" and get back on the ice/field/court. Sports leagues need to take much more serious measures in diagnosing concussions and setting safety regulations for their players. I agree with Jordan's comment that some of these players need to let their pride go and take care of themselves.
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